Cumbria’s new firefighter recruits pass out in style

Cumbria County Council Fire and Rescue Service’s first group of new wholetime recruits for nine years has successfully graduated following 14 weeks of intensive training.

The group of 11 firefighters have completed their training and will now join the fire crews at their respective stations in Barrow, Carlisle, Ulverston, Whitehaven and Workington.

Mr Healey presents certificates to the firefighter recruits at the passing out parade.

At the official passing out parade attended by friends and family at CFRS headquarters in Penrith on Thursday, firefighters Oliver Burrow, Jordan Dorrington, Jordan Harris, Chris Little, Adam Lovatt, Adam Price, Norman Reilly, Felicity Robson, Ross Spruce, Megan Walker and Michael Wardle were congratulated on passing their basic training course and welcomed to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service as newly trained firefighters.

During the parade, which took place in scorchingly hot temperatures, the recruits showcased their skills and techniques by completing a series of drills, including rescuing a casualty from a mock road traffic collision and firefighting demonstrations.

The pass-out parade culminated with Cumbria’s 11 new recruits, along with two firefighters from the Isle of Man who also completed the training programme, being presented with certificates by the county’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Healey.

The much anticipated award for the top trainee went to firefighter Michael Wardle, who was presented with a silver axe.

Steve Healey said: “Our new recruits have gone through rigorous training and have successfully completed the challenging course, gaining valuable experience in practical firefighting. But there is so much more to the role of a modern firefighter than attending emergencies, and the recruits now have the skills to work with local communities spreading the message about safety in the home and workplace. I know they have all worked exceptionally hard over the past 14 weeks and their achievements are well deserved. We wish them all the best for the future.”

During the intensive 14-week programme, the recruits completed training in a number of firefighting disciplines, including use of fire and rescue service equipment such as breathing apparatus and how to deal with incidents involving road traffic collisions, fires, chemical incidents, water and sewer rescues and railway incidents.